We came back to warm temperatures, a trip to the pool and the ability to sit out on the patio enjoying the view and birds.
We did manage to get 2 new year birds on the first two days of December. Although we did get kicked out for trespassing!
Hmmm... seems like I have a back rash! not sure what it is but it itches like crazy. Noticed it after we got home from Texas.
BobCat
Coyote
We have been running into "birder friends" all over Green Valley. We have settled in to our routine. The heat had to be turned on Wed Dec 12, as it was 62 in the house when we woke up! But by the time we left for the day I was able to turn it off again. the temp outside when Eric went swimming was 28! Obviously he was the only one in the pool!
our neighbor gate decorations
Thurs Nov 12: Went to Pena Blanca lake today, we were the only people there for most of the morning. it was a bit cold but not like in Birchwood where it was minus 15 this morning!
We went to the Coyote Grill at San Ignacio golf club for lunch. Pretty crowded but we got in without reservations. The burger and French dip were pretty good, the house made onion rings were good too.
Hmm.. our pool has been shut down as the heater is not working. Eric commented that he did not think it was as warm as it should have been. We went to another fitness center just down the road. the pool was warm and the fitness center was pretty empty. all good...
the pool got fixed and back to normal...
one of the ladies that workout at the same time as we do gave us a bag of homemade Christmas goodies! How lucky for us! there were 3 different cookies, peppermint bark, 2 different bars and 2 different chocolates. Since we don't bring decorations with us, I am using the bag the goodies came in as our tree!
Sometimes we have to cross bridges...
Sometimes we see really ugly stuff! dump truck in the parking lot
Panoramic view from our rental on the Winter Solstice
Our Holiday decorations! using the bag from our fitness pal that was filled with goodies as our tree!
Dec 22: we leave for our journey to Palm Springs. about 400 miles to Ray's house for Christmas. We began our trip at a new local Mexican restaurant for breakfast. Taco Giro. It was good, not fabulous but good. we then stopped a few times to walk etc. getting to Chandler AZ at 3:00. 1 new year bird! we stayed at he Doubletree right off of I10. Dinner at Burgers and Beers, about a mile from the hotel. Good burgers, too big, but we ate the whole burger!
gas prices on the way to Palm Springs for Christmas
Tucson is getting ready for the Gem show in February. its a very big deal and they have been building the tents for a month.
Dec 23: we went to a few new places and old favorite places on our way to Blythe CA. Good breakfast at the hotel, 1 new year bird! and plenty of sunshine. We arrived at the Hampton Inn at 3:00 Pacific time. Dinner at Garcia's, about a mile from the hotel. Food and service were both good. We did stop at Albertsons to pick up some lottery tickets. Let's hope we finally win!
Dec 24: with the time change it was hard to stay in bed after 5:00 am. Off to Ray's after breakfast. We made a few stops again 1 new year bird! We arrived at Rays at about 3:00 with 460 year birds. hopefully we can add a few more while in Calif.
Ray made turkey chili for dinner along with some delicious appetizers and drinks. Ray's friend Jon came by for dinner and a fun evening of catching up.
Merry Christmas 2024
Waking up in California for Christmas is always special. After a wonderful breakfast we left Ray alone to prepare for the day. We went up to Big Marengo and got 5 new year birds!
Ray made a wonderful Turkey dinner, Jon brought the cranberry sauce, his mom's recipe. Everything was so good. We used Eric and Ray's great great grandmothers dishes.. Eric was in charge of carving the turkey.
Another wonderful day spent in Paradise!
Dec 26, We got up early and headed to Whitewater Preserve. A nice walk but no new year birds! We got back to Ray's by 10:30 then went to Gabinos for a fun Crepe sandwich lunch. It's a small hole in the wall place with outside seating only, but great food!
Dinner was left over turkey dinner. Another beautiful day spent with Ray.
Dec 27: Off to Yuma AZ today. we left Ray's by 7:30, first stop at Shields Date Shop for breakfast and to purchase some dates.
of course we had to purchase some dates and Date Butter!
After looking for birds at the Salton Sea we drove through Bombay Beach... its is very "artistic" town
Bombay Beach TV's
We arrived at our hotel by 4:00 MT. Dinner at Burgers and Beers. Eric's chicken sandwich was pretty good, my strawberry salad was very good.
Sat Dec 28: next leg of this journey is Gila Bend. about 120 miles away. We stopped many times, in fact we left the hotel by 7:30 but did not leave Yuma until noon.... a few more stops before arriving at our hotel, Gila Bend Lodge at 3;30. We got a 2nd floor room.. After unpacking etc, we headed out to a few birding hot spots before dinner at Little Italy for Pizza. it was good, they claim that Prince Harry ate there?
Sun Dec 29: back to Green Valley. 150 miles. We left the hotel by 7:30, birded around Gila Bend until 9:00. Forgot to check out and we were still in town so one last potty stop in our room before checking out. A few more short stops then grocery shopping before arriving at home by 1:30.
What a great trip, much easier to take 2 nights to get there and back rather than make it in one or two days. It was a great afternoon to sit outside and enjoy our view and birds..
Mon Dec 30: Eric went swimming. I chose to conserve my energy as we have an all day birding agenda. Today is the Green Valley Christmas Bird Count. we met up with Ted W. again this year to bird the canyon. We did a bit better than last year as it was not windy.
After leaving Ted we went to look for the Elegant Trogan. There was about 6 others waiting for the bird to show up. He had come to the berry bush about 20 minutes before we got there at 3:20. We hung for about and hour then gave up! We did not see this bird in 2023 or so far in 2024.
Dec 31: New Years Eve 2025... after our fitness center workouts we went looking for the Elegant Trogan. Not leaving until we see him or it gets dark! We arrived at about 9:00 am. there were about 10-15 people hanging and waiting for this guy.
He showed up at 10:35!!! what a beautiful bird.
Wholly cow we finally found him for 2024! that made our yearly bird count at 467! we came in at 197 for the lower 48 in the US. not bad, last year we were 217. there were a number of birds we did not see, maybe next year!
Another year has passed without any serious bumps in the road. We are lucky to live the life we love, wonderful friends and the ability to travel.
No comments:
Post a Comment